2 is better than 3 to assure focus

I RECENTLY had a conversation with a friend about marketing with new media. He had set up a two-column blog and asked me whether he should have chosen a three-column design to give him more room for banner ads, links, etc.

I thought it was a great question, one that has its answer rooted not so much in the principles of successful new-media marketing as in human nature and persuasion.

The short answer is that three-column templates are better for companies like AdSense and affiliate marketers than for business people marketing their own products/services.

Three columns clutter the layout, and before you know it, you have reduced focus by giving the reader too many choices, which can lead to inaction.

The strategic answer is a little different. With a three-column theme, you are not able to focus the reader as easily on what ads are most important. Two-column themes keep the page cleaner, allow more white space, and make it easier for your audience to focus on the ads that make the most sense for them.

Marketers using new media going after AdSense (or similar) dollars are just looking for clicks. Setting aside the quality of content as a driver to success, these types of marketers want as many ad choices as possible, hoping something will appeal to their readers.

PERSONALLY, I don't care if AdSense-type marketers are using blogs, social networks and other new media instead of static old Web sites. This type of marketing approach is essentially the "throw a bunch of spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks" strategy. Unfortunately, many affiliate and network marketers fall prey to the easy-money lure. As effective affiliate marketers, they are building their own list with bridge pages while promoting affiliate products. Assuming that's the case, the question becomes how many targeted products are they promoting?

You could possibly use the extra ad space the three-column layout provides if you have more than half-a-dozen products related to the topics your blog covers. Otherwise, the ability to focus an audience on a narrow range of highly responsive ads is easier with the two-column, WordPress themes. The ideal strategy is to offer one or two entry-level products on your new-media marketing blog. The principle here again is "focus."

You can still have multiple ads using a two-column theme. It's a good idea to simultaneously test alternate ads for the same product(s) on a cleaner theme. The winning ad will rise to the top.